Sandra Piesik Builds A Food Shelter Out Of Palm Leaves In The UAE

Palm-leaf buildings might not be the latest architectural trend, but they’re definitely beautiful and eco-friendly. Influenced by the notion of reintroducing traditional heritage and tackling climate change, Dr. Sandra Piesik from 3 Ideas Limted is building a food shelter at the UAE’s Al Ain -a UNESCO world heritage site, using palm leaves.

The “food shelter” is a humanitarian project designed to contribute to social development programs in poorer countries where date palm trees are cultivated. After a six year research and development program on combining traditional materials with modern techniques, this palm leaf building will be the first with the use of tensile fabric for the roof covering.

Apart from unique, the new structure at Al Ain is also a carrier of the idea of bringing back traditional methods and materials as solutions to very modern issues, preserving the culture and naturalness across the Middle East.